Here’s what’s next for your Christmas tree

Christmas trees are seen at a Christmas tree lot.

The City of Ottawa has a few tips to help you get rid of your Christmas tree, while making sure you keep the spirit alive.

If your plan is to leave it for garbage pickup, you must remove all decorations first, then place it at the curb with the green bin no later than 7 a.m. on the scheduled collection day, the city says on its website.

“Trees will not be collected if they are wrapped in plastic bags, frozen in snowbanks or have decorations,” reads the website.

The trees will be taken to the Trail Road Waste Facility, where they will be used to cover the garbage at the landfill, or to the capital’s organics processing facility, where they will be composted or mulched, notes the city.

Are you thinking of giving the tree a second life? The city has few options for you:

• Leave it in your backyard. This can help improve the soil quality, as it decomposes. It can also provide shelter for wildlife.

• Trim the branches and use them as supports for vines, flowers and bushes in your backyard.

• Create “rustic garden edges” with the branches.

The city says the National Capital Commission can also take your tree and use it along the Rideau Canal Skateway for resting areas. Trees can be dropped off at Colonel By Drive, just west of the Bronson Avenue bridge.

Animals can also benefit from your Christmas tree, as you can donate it to the the Vanderlaand Barnyard Zoo.

Finally, you can drop it at Remic Rapids, 351 Kichi Zībī Mīkan from December through to Feb. 28, 2025 to help build a windbreak at Kichi Sibi Winter Trail.

More information about reducing food waste and recycling your tree can be found online.